Door-counterbalancing system.



C. C. TOMKINSON. DOOR COUNTERBALANCING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. WI 1916 m JML15,1918.

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,4 7TOR/VEY lid r eras Penn onion CHARLES C. TOMKINSON, OF PLAINJFIELD,NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T J. EDWARD OGDEN, OF MOUNTAINVILLE, NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan.ll5,1191l8.

Application filed October 10, 1916. Serial No. 124,806.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that 1, CHARLES C. TOMKIN- soN, a citizen of the UnitedStates of Americe, and a resident of Plainfield, Union county, and Stateof New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDoor-Counterbalancing Systems, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part thereof.

My invention relates to improvements in systems of counterbalancing thattype of doors which move vertically and away from the vertical inopening, and its object is to provide a simple arrangement of one ormore auxiliary weights on the door or doors to act in conjunction with amain counterweight in such a manner as to roduce a uniform balance forthe doors in t e various positions they assume during their operation.

In order that my invention may be thoroughl understood, I will nowproceed to descri e the same in the following specification, and thenpoint out the novel features thereof in appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a two-section door of wellknown construction with my invention applied thereto, the door beingshown in three of the positions it assumes during its 0 eration.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a part of one of the door sectionsillustrating a detail of construction,a simple arrangement for affixingone of the auxiliary weights.

Fig. 3 shows a modified structure in side elevation in which head chainsare used instead of shelf brackets to raise or support the inner ends ofthe door sections in their open position.

Corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters in,all the fig- III'GS.

designates one ofthe side posts of a door opening, 11 its threshold, and12 its lintel.

is a lower door section, on the lower corners of which are rollers2lwhich run on vertical tracks 22 throughout the entire length of thedoor opening. Hoisting chains 23 are aflixed to the lower corners ofthis lower door section and extend up to sheaves 24 afiixed to atransverse shaft 25 and down I to the main counterweight 26. 27designates the mechanism for rotating shaft 25 and 28 a hand chain foractuating this mechanism.

30 is an upper door section provided at its vertical edges with guides31 into which the lower door section slides. Links 32 are pivoted at 33to the edges of this upper door section near the center thereof and theother ends of the links are pivoted at 34 to fixed points above the dooropening.

When such a door is operated the first movement will be the verticalrise of the lower door section into the guides 31 until its lower edgeis about even with the lower edge of the upper door section. lhis partof the door movement is represented by the line A in Fig. 1.

A further upward movement of the lower edge of the lower door sectionwill carry the lower edge of the upper door section with it, but theother parts of both door sections will swing inwardly being supported bythe hoisting chains 23 and the links 32. The door sections will assumethe positions indicated by broken 'lines and designated 20 30 and thispart of their movement is represented by the line B.

At this part of the travel of the door sections a roller 29 supported onthe back of the lower door section near the top thereof, will reach theposition 29 where it is about to run upon a stationary shelf bracket 35.

During the rest of the opening door movement, that represented by theline C, the inner end of the door sections will be supported by theshelf bracket. When the door is fully opened its sections will be in theposition in which they are indicated by broken lines and designated by20 -30, and the roller will be in the position 29*. Instead of the shelfbracket 35, head chains (Fig. 3) sometimes are used to support theweight of the inner edges of the door sections when opened.

When the two door sections are of such construction that their weight isuniformly distributed and are of about the same size,

shape and weight, a uniform balancing effect is required throughout thewhole travel of the door and the counterweight 26 will give the desireduniform balancing efiegt. This is because of the fact that whi. lowerdoor section is rising alone its of gravity rises therewith uniformly atthe ceive its charge by slacking the draft-rope 24. The charge is thenlifted by drawing the rope Q-l, the pawl 15 gripping the pipe 8 preventsthe detent member from sliding upon the pi pe movingupon the pipe 9-sothat the charge taken up by the fork will be lifted by the hoist to anelevation above the top of the wa onthat is to receive the load. WVhen asutlicient elevation has been reached by the hoisting apparatus, thehandle 21 of the detent member is manipulated so that the pawl 15 isswung laterally out of contact with the traveling pulley 13 therebyallowing the latter to run upon the pipe 9 and convey the hoist and forkwith its load to a position over the wagon where the'load may bereleased in I thefcustonnn'y n'ianner by manipulating the the groundtrip cord 30. The hoisting apparatusis then a new charge. As themanure'is removed from by the fork either oneor the other of the sledsmay be drawn so that the I lorh will be brought from placeto place asCopies of this patent may be obtained for and prevents the travelingpulley from returned to its former position for receiving 7 shoulder forengaging the pipe upon which the detent member is mounted when thetraveler bears against the pendent end of the .pawl in one direction. Inapparatus ol the class described, two parallelsupportmg pipes; atraveler on one of the pipes; a detent device movably mounted upon theother of said pipes and'adapted to engage and detain the traveler frompassing in one direction; and a handle for turn ing the detent memberupon its support out of engagement with the traveler.

3. In combination with a pair of parallel tracks, horizontally disposed,V a traveler mounted upon'one of the'tracks; and detent memberadjustably 'mounted upon the other or said pipes adapted to engage thetraveler and stop its movement in one direction. I x 1 r V Incombination with a supporting track; a weighted collarv slidably mountedupoi'rthe track and adapted also to be turned laterally thereupon; ahandle attached to the collartormanipulating the same; and a pawlpivoted inconnection with the collar.

and having a shoulder adapted to bear against the track and bindthecollar in fixed'position upon the track whenthe pawl is pressed inone direction.

In testimony whereof I a'fliX mys'ignature,

in presence of two Witnesses." FRANK C; Witnesses:

MA'rI-IILDA. METTLER,

W. G. BURNS.

'ToBIAs) five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,Washington, D. G. I

aeaasoa'.

into direct opposition to the counterweight 26 during these doormovements B and G and will restore the balance.

In the same arrangement shown in Fig. 3, a head chain 50 attached to theupper end of the upper door section at 51 and to a fixed point 52, isused instead of a shelf bracket to support orto raise the inner ends ofthe door sections when open. The function of the auxiliary weights issimilar in this case to that previously described.

In some cases it is feasible to determine the amount and positions ofthe weights l0 and 43 during the manufacture of the doors. In such casesthe auxiliaryweights may be built into the door structure if desired. In

other cases the conditions attending the erection of the doors changethe weights of the door sections so that for nicety of balancingeffects, the final positions of the auxiliary weights have to bedetermined or adjusted after the installation is complete.

I have illustrated my invention as applied "to one type of door, but itis not limited to a door of any particular design or construction,vandin fact I intend no limitation other than those imposed by the followingclaims.

' What I claim is:

1. A door having a vertically moving portion, and another part arrangedto move away from the plane of said movement, a counterweight connectedwith said vertically moving portion of the door, and an auxiliary weightaflixed to said other part of the door in such a position as to have avariable counteractin 1s'eflect upon the counterweight to maintaine'balance of the door in its different positions.

2. A door having means for guiding its lower edge in a vertical plane,and means for swinging the rest of the door away from said verticalplane, a counterweight connected with the lower edge of said door, andan auxiliary weight affixed to another part of the door in such aposition as to have a variable counteracting efi'ect upon thecounterweight to maintain'the balance of the door in its difierentpositions.

3. A door having means for guiding its lower edge in a vertical plane,means for swinging the rest of the door away from said vertical plane, acounterweight connected with the lower ed e of said door, an auxiliaryweight afixed to another part of the door in such a position as to havea variable counteracting efi'ect upon the counterweight, and means forpermittin the adjustment of the position of said aux' iary weight on thedoor to thereby change its variable efi'ect upon the counterweight.

4. A door having means for gulding its lower edge in a vertical plane,and means for swinging the rest of the door away from said verticalplane, and means for supporting the weight of the part of the door whichmoves away. from the vertical plane as the lower edge of the doorapproaches the upper end of its path of travel, a counterweightconnected with the lower edge of said door, and an auxiliary weight onthe door above its lower edge.

5. A door structure comprising a plurality of sections, the lower edgesof WhlCll move in a vertical plane, and means for swinging said doorsections away from said vertical plane during a part of the door openingmovement, a counterweight connected with the vertically moving part ofthe door structure, and auxiliary weights aflixed to the door sectionsin such positions as to have a variable counteracting efi'ect upon thecounterweight to maintain the balance of the door in itsdifi'erentpositions.

6. A door structure comprising a plurality of sections, the lower edgesof which move in a vertical plane and means for swinging said doorsections away from said vertical plane during a part of the door openingmovement, a counterweight connected with the vertically moving part ofthe door struc ture, auxiliary weights on the door sections in suchpositions as to have a variable counteracting efi'ect upon thecounterweight,

and means for permitting'the adjustment of.

the positions of said auxiliary weights on the door sections to therebychange their variable efiect-upon the counterweight.

7. A door structure comprising a plurality of sections, the lower edgesof which move in a vertical plane and means for swinging said doorsections away from said vertical plane during a part of the door openingmovement, and means for supporting the parts of the door sections whichmove away from the vertical plane as the lower edges of the doorsections approach the upper end of their path of travel, a counterweightconnected with the vertically moving part of the door structure, andauxiliary weights afiixed to the door sections in such positions as tohave a variable counteracting efl'ect upon the counterweight to maintainthe balance ofthe door in its difi'erent positions.

8. A door structure comprising a plurality of sections, the lower edgesof which move in a vertical plane and means for swingin said doorsections away from said vertica plane during a part of the dooropeningmovement, and means for supporting the parts of the door sectionswhich move away from the vertical plane as the lower edges lot the doorsections approach the upper end of their path of travel, a counterweightconnected with the vertically moving part of the door structure,auxiliary weights on the door sections in such positions as to have avariable counteracting efi'ect upon the counterweight, and means forpermitting the adjustment of the positions of said auxiliary weights onthe door sections to thereby change their variable effect upon thecounterweight.

9. A door structure comprising a plurality of sections, the lower edgesof wh1ch move swinging said door sections away from said vertical planeduring a part of the door opening movement, a counterweight connectedwith the vertically moving part of 'the door structure, an auxiliaryweight ,on

one of the door sections in such position as to have 'a variablecounteracting effect upon the counterweight, and means for permittingthe adjustment of the position of said auxiliary weight on the doorsection to thereby change its variable effect upon the counterweight.

11. A door structure comprising a plurality of sections, the lower edgesof which move in a vertical plane and means for swinging said doorsections away from said vertical plane during a part of ,the dooropening movement, and means for supporting the parts of the doorsections which move away from the vertical plane as the lower edges ofthe door sections approach the upper end of their path of travel, acounterweight connected with the vertically moving part of the doorstructure, and an auxiliary weight aflixed to one of the door sectionsin such position as to have a variable counteracting eiiect upon thecounterweight.

12. A door structure comprising a plurality of sections, the lower edgesof which move in a vertical plane and means for swinging said doorsections away from said vertical plane during a part of the door openingmovement, and means for supporting the parts of the door sections whichmove away from the vertical plane as the lower edges of the doorsections approach the upper end of their path of travel, a counterweightconnected with the vertically moving part of the door structure, anauxiliary weight on one of the door sections in such positionas to havea variable counteracting efiect upon the counterweight, and means forpermitting the adjustment of the'position of said auxiliary weight, onthe door section, to thereby change its variable efiect upon thecounterweight.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day ofSeptember, 1916.

CHARLES C. TOMKINSON. Witnesses:

I. B. MooRE, H. BURT LAMS.

